President's men unhappy with free press
President's men unhappy with free press
JAKARTA (JP): Press freedom, one of the symbols of democracy,
will at some point scare all the President's men, regardless of
their commitment to democracy.
The semblance of fright unfolded on Saturday when some palace
officials expressed their disappointment with the Jan. 21st
edition of the International Herald Tribune which carried
President Abdurrahman Wahid's picture on its front page.
The photo, captioned 'President Wahid of Indonesia taking a
break during the unveiling of his 2000 budget in Jakarta on
Thursday,' clearly shows the President napping.
"The President did not sleep, he just listened attentively,"
an official said on Saturday.
State-owned TV station TVRI, which broadcast the session live,
also shot the moment.
Abdurrahman was attending a House of Representatives plenary
session to hear Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri unveil the
2000 draft budget.
During the era of former president Soeharto, who resigned in
May 1998, military and other government institutions would not
have tolerated such a picture in the media.
"Some of my colleagues found it difficult to understand the
photographer's choice," said an official.
But the President himself just laughed when told about the
photo, according to the official, who requested anonymity.
Abdurrahman is famous for his habit of falling asleep when
meeting with guests or attending a seminar, but also for waking
up and responding perfectly to his counterpart's remarks.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Alwi Shihab disclosed how he would
stay alert to ensure that the President would not be drowsy when
talking with U.S. President Bill Clinton at the White House in
November.
There is no doubt about Abdurrahman's strong commitment to
free press. He appointed former Kompas journalist Ratih Hardjono
as the presidential secretary and Tempo editor Wahyu Maryadi as
his protocol affairs chief.
He regularly meets with the press, and will not hesitate to
answer even sensitive questions. He statements often provoke
controversy, but he very rarely retracts them or blames
journalists for misquoting him.
In his interview with private TV station TPI, broadcast on
Sunday evening, Abdurrahman unveiled many jokes, including on his
recent meeting with Clinton.
His inner circle officials however began to take some measures
to protect their boss from the press. Journalists are surprised
with the attitudes of his newly installed aides Marsilam
Simajuntak and Bondan Gunawan, who serve as Cabinet secretary and
secretary of government supervision, respectively.
The two were previously known as staunch antigovernment
activists.
Bondan allowed only one journalist to pose a question when the
President held a media briefing last Monday. Only after protest
from a foreign journalist did he allow a female reporter to ask
an additional question. (prb)